Holiday Cheer

This past weekend a friend of mine and I co-hosted a holiday party. It was loads of fun and a great way to start off the holiday season. It was nice to have people over and it helped make the holidays a bit more real. It hasn't really felt like Christmas since we have no plans of going home and this party really helped get me in the holiday spirit. I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. Kunal's little sister will be visiting and we're going to my Aunt's for Christmas Eve dinner. We have a friend's New Year's Eve party that we're planning on attending. It should be fun. It is just weird that I'm not off for the entire week between Christmas and New Year's.
It's hard to believe the year is over. I can still remember last New Year's Eve like it was just a couple of weeks ago! I guess once you're a grown up, time really does fly.

No More Winter Break

All throughout school and even for the last 3 years since I graduated, I always, always, without a doubt, took time off around Christmas and New Years. Whether it was to go to India or just to go home, I always enjoyed my mini holiday vacation. This year, I'm only off Christmas Eve/Day and New Year's Eve/Day. This has a lot to do with our families being all over the place. My mom is going to Dallas to spend the holidays with my sister (guess I really do know who the favorite child is). Kunal's mom is in India shopping for the wedding. His brother is going to Las Vegas/LA right after Christmas on a boys trip. My dad is coming to NJ for a wedding. So since it was really only Kunal's dad and sister, we invited them to NJ. His dad declined and said he'd go to Charlotte to see the family there. So now we're playing host to a 15 year old girl for two weeks while we try to go about our normal lives.

Being 15 is a tough age. You're too young to drive but too old to be babied by others. Hopefully Kunal will be able to work from home so she isn't stuck watching TV all day bored out of her mind. I'm going to go ahead and assume that I'll be extremely busy with work since there are many, many, many things that need to be done in order to close out the year smoothly. If my coworker was still here, I would probably take off a couple of days just to spend at home but alas, she is not, therefore I cannot.

We plan on going to the city one day. It's the easiest tourist attraction nearby. We'll grab brunch with the cousins and then wander around the city seeing all the fun holiday decorations. We're going to a show that evening called "How 2 B A New Yorker" which sounds hilarious. If you recall, I went to a similar concept show in Paris and I loved it. It helps that there is a catered Italian dinner to accompany the show so that should be great...oh yea, and a cash bar!

Thanksgiving

The rest of November was such a whirlwind that before I knew it, I'm in December! The week after Boston, one of my co-workers broker her ankle! Typically she is my back up for when I'm gone and I'm hers when she is out. This is okay when one of us is out for a day or two...but now that I've taken over all her responsibilities, work is insanely busy! I shortened my Thanksgiving trip just so I could work a half day the Wednesday before. After working ten days straight, I was beyond ready to get home to NC and relax with nothing but food on my mind.

We left NJ at 1:30 and arrived home a little after 10pm. Not too bad considering we stopped for gas and got stuck in a bit of traffic here and there. Once we were settled in at home, I stayed up with my family and we finally watched Dostana, a Bollywood film that came out in 2008. Better late than never, right?

When Thursday arrived, I was more than happy. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I was beyond ready to eat some delicious food made by my sister. For lunch, we had Bojangle's because no visit to the South is complete without some sweet tea and cajun fries! People slowly started to trickle in as the day went on. The food was awesome, as usual. Aside from the regular turkey, we have mini stuffed baked potatoes, chipotle black bean soup, cheesy jalapeno corn bread, some sort of salad, mushroom and leek stuffing, macaroni and cheese, a cheese plate, and for dessert, an apple crumble strudel thing. It was well worth the three years that I had to wait. After dinner and dessert were wrapped up, we went over my wedding invitations so I could have them all addressed and ready to go. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Probably because I was lazy and didn't leave a slot for the name to be written in and provided a website for RSVP'ing instead of cards to mail back.

Friday, Kunal and I were going to Charlotte with his little sister for a get-together his family was having. On the way, we stopped at Zaxby's for lunch because that is another Southern staple of good fried chicken. Then we made it to Kunal's aunt's place where there was a bunch of people coming over for dinner. As usual, the adults had one room and the kids were all gathered in the other. After dinner, Kunal and I wanted to go downtown to meet up with friends. As usual, we ended up at Crave and then I left to go to Suite to see some of my friends. The night ended with late night food from Pita Pit which I don't think I had since 2010 before I moved up to NJ!

Saturday, after enjoying the breakfast buffet that the Doubletree offered, we were off to a family friend's house for a late lunch. This auntie makes awesome pani puri and manchurian. I had this the last time I was at their house and was thrilled to have it again! I could seriously eat pani puri all day every day...okay maybe not every day but definitely all day every now and then. =D We left the Charlotte aread around 3:30/4 and started our drive up to Chapel Hill where we were having dinner at my aunt's house. I hadn't been to her place since my sister's mendhi which she hosted. They have this new awesome media/play room. The kids have a Kinect which is super fun to play. We all took turns playing this river rafting game and I'm not surprised at all that Kunal and I were the best. Haha.

Sunday, we had to drop my sister and brother-in-law off at the airport. Then we ran a few errands before settling in at the house for the rest of the day. The break was such a whirlwind of travelling that it was hard to believe it was over already. Monday was our day of travel up to Philadephia. For our one year, I got Kunal tickets to a MNF game where the Panthers were playing the Eagles. It was a long drive but the game was very fun! Thank goodness we won! The temperature wasn't too good and our seats were awesome! We arrived at our house about 2:30am and boy was I tired! I finally feel fully recovered after this last weekend.

Beantown Trip

Last Wednesday, we got "hit" with a Nor'ester that, luckily, didn't affect us as much as the news said it would. On Thursday, we drove up to Boston for the weekend. The drive was great, a easy 4 hours with a bit of congestion leaving into the city. We decided to come a day early to see our friends who has moved to Boston. For dinner we went to The Cactus Club where the drinks were great and the enchiladas tasted like Indian curries. No joke, my lobster and shrimp enchiladas has a sauce on them that tasted just like chicken tikka masala curry. I mean, chicken tikka masala is a favorite dish of mine so it wasn't too bad but it was definitely odd. The spicy salsa wasnt spicy and the jalapenos didn't help add some heat to the food. I don't think I would go back unless it was to drink. After dinner we ventured over to Top of the Hub located at the Prudential Center where they have floor to ceiling windows and you get a fun 360 degree view of the city. I enjoy going to very tall buildings in cities so I get a great view of the city lights. After I had my fill of vodka/tonics and the Boston lights, we went to meet up with some more friends at a bar. I'm not sure what gave us the bright idea of having a night cap when we got back to our hotel..but there we were sitting at the hotel bar closing it down as we waited for our pizza to arrive.

Friday, we were a bit on the lazy side as we packed up and got ready to change hotels and go meet Kunal's family and the relatives. It was great to see everyone so soon after seeing them in England. We ate, we drank, I napped a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the Omni for drinks with the rest of the family. I had New England Clam Chowder which is always great. After drinks, since most of the aunties are vegetarians, we went to a Chinese place to get another dinner.

Saturday was the day of the wedding and let me tell you. It was so great to wake up somewhat late and get a good breakfast in before getting ready for the wedding. Now I wish my wedding was in the afternoon! We took a coach bus to the church which was great since driving in Boston is no fun. After the short ceremony, back on the bus we went. The reception was on the top floor. During the cocktail hour, we were able to venture outside and get really great views of the city. There was a live band at the reception which I loved. It kind of reminded me of college frat parties. Live bands are wonderful and it made the reception very fun. After the reception, we went to a bar nearby and continued the fun.

Saturday, there was a brunch at the Omni before everyone went their separate way. After brunch, we walked around and went shopping before Kunal and I made the drive back to NJ.

Here are some pictures:

Kunal and Nishan with their Jijajis

The girl cousins and me

First dance as a married couple

The AKs

Hurricanes

My family moved from NJ to NC in 1995. That following year, in 1996 we experienced our first hurricane. I had never heard of hurricanes and really had no idea what was happening. I just knew that we didn't have school and it was really windy. Hurricane Fran hit during the night while I was fast asleep and when I woke up, I got to experience what happens when a hurricane hits. We had no power which was very exciting since that meant we got to eat out! The mall flooded which was sad, all those clothes that no one got to wear. It was insane driving around town and seeing the damage. Trees had fallen over, power lines were on the ground, roads were flooded.

We were in the process of having our house built and we were anxious to see how it held up during this hurricane. As we drove into our new neighborhood, we saw a tree that crashed right now the middle of one house and I think all of our blood pressures spiked a bit as we pulled into our cul-de-sac. As we saw our house, the front looks fine and we were able to breath a little easier. As we walked around the property, we realized that there was no damage. The worst thing that happened was a twig like tree has fallen over and landed right next to the house. How luck were we? 

After Fran, I grew accustomed to hurricanes. There was Bonnie in 1998, Dennis and Floyd in 1999, Isabel in 2003. And who could forget Katrina in 2005. While that didn't affect NC the way it did the Gulf, it was definitely one of the worst storms I remember. Hurricane-schurricane, everyone paused but then life quickly resumed. 

I thought moving up to NJ would turn my attention from hurricanes to snowstorms. Hurricanes, I can handle; snow on the other hand, no way. It's pretty to look at but I'm definitely not a fan of having to function and keep to my daily routine amidst the snowfall. So how crazy is it that in the 2 years I've lived here, I've had two hurricanes come visit!! Um hello, I thought that was a thing of the past! Irene last year was insane. The rivers overflowed, the roads flooded, I couldn't get to work! Hearing the winds on the 18th floor was comparable to having a train right outside.

We just had Hurricane Sandy come through NJ last week. Luck for us, we didn't experience any hardship due to the storm. We never lost power, cable, or internet. The worst part had to be being stuck in the house all day. Kunal's client just got their power back today so he was in extreme stir-crazy mode since he was working from home for over a week. The panic that set in due to this storm reminded me of the panic that sets in during potential snowfall in NC. The grocery shelves were cleared, nothing was opened, and the tv channels focused on nothing but the upcoming storm. 

I know Kunal and I desperately miss NC but we rather the hurricanes stay down there than come up here. 

Chi-Town

One of the best times about being in your 20s and settled with a steady income is travelling spur of the moment. Case in point, on Thursday around 10am, I decided to take a weekend trip...to Chicago. Flights were not too expensive and Kunal's cousin, Rati was having a katha for her new house. All of Kunal's family was going and we decided to join. Since I was taking Friday and Monday off and Kunal had to be back in NJ for work on Monday we had to take different flights. Lucky duck, Kunal had a direct flight while I had a layover. During my layover in Cincinnati, I discovered the airport had a Chickfila! Woo hoo, yay for me, I got a chicken biscuit! Kunal was jealous.

Once we arrived, we went into downtown with the cousins to sightsee since Kunal and Nishan had not gotten a chance to explore Chicago before. After a delicious lunch of sushi at Niu we went to Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, and Millennium Park. Kunal's niece was with us and she is a super adorable toddler which made sightseeing very fun. Kunal's parents and sister flew in that night and we all met up for dinner at Rati's inlaws' house. After dinner, we went to a grand opening of Hop Scotch Bar which specializes in beer on tap and whiskeys. I absolutely love the name!

Saturday, Kunal and I met up with my cousin and his wife for brunch. It was great to see them and get a chance to have actual conversation since the last time we saw them was at their wedding! The katha was that afternoon and it took up most of the day with the ceremony followed by dinner. That night after everyone left and the 'kids' wants to do something, we went to a local bar for some drinks and food where we had the best pizza ever. It was cut in squares, which I love and the crust was so crispy and the toppings so fresh. They were having a halloween party so we got fun necklaces, hats, masks, and vampire teeth.

I was originally meant to leave Monday morning but I decided to change my flight after all coverage about Hurricane Sandy making her NJ debut. Good thing I did since EWR is closed today..and tomorrow, and who knows when it would open again. I'm glad we were able to go to Chicago to see the family and it just made us even more excited for Boston in 2 weeks when we'll see them all again!

Here are some pictures from the BEAN! Last one is from Navy Pier.

In the meantime, Kunal and I are at home with symptoms of cabin fever due to the hurricane. We are okay so far, it has been extremely windy but luckily our power hasn't gone out. I hope everyone else in the Northeast is safe during the storm.

SoBe

After over 10 months of 2012, we finally took a real vacation. A trip meant for us to laze around, do anything we wanted, and have no planned events on the agenda. We went to Miami Beach which was the perfect location. Especially considering the cold/rainy weather that was creeping into NJ as of late. It was a great step away from reality into the life of leisure.

We were a bit worried about our flight getting delayed due to the downpour that occurred the day of our departure. Luckily our flight had no problems and we were off! Our flight arrived ahead of schedule and soon we were at our hotel. Thanks to the stocked minibar we relaxed for a bit with some beer until we decided on what to do. Since it was our first night, we wanted to do something low key so we headed to a local dive bar where the pitchers are only $8 bucks and games of pool are $2. We've never played pool with each other so it was a fun time, both of us winning games. I'd like to say that I'm the overall winner because I recall Kunal having to take more shots than I did. We made friends with some locals and played doubles. It was definitely a change from the ordinary bar scene. Now I want to find some pool halls up here so we can go again.

Saturday, we had brunch nearby and tried this amazing breakfast pizza that we both fell in love with at Front Porch Cafe. Afterwards, we decided to walk down Ocean Drive to see everything. We went all the way to the tip of the island and climbed over some rock quarry. Since the walk was long, we decided to rent some bikes to travel the 14 blocks back to our hotel. Now, I haven't been on a bike in who knows how long. While I definitely remember how to ride one, it still took a bit getting used to. Definitely had a couple close encounters with some fences. That evening we went to Mango's with a friend for dinner. Afterwards we went to the Clevelander Hotel because who doesn't love a good rooftop??

Sunday we had actually made reservations at a restaurant known for its amazing southern good called Yardbird. The food was SOO good and reminded us of NC. We had the shrimp and grits, chicken biscuits and mac n cheese. For dessert, we had a maple glazed doughnut with bacon. So good, but definitely heart attack worthy.

After our calorie heavy lunch, we decided to walk back on Lincoln Road so we can browse the shops as we made our way back to Ocean Drive. I decided to work on my skin tone while Kunal hit the gym. For dinner ended up getting sushi at Moshi Moshi which was so great. 

Monday was our final day in Miami and we had a sight-seeing tour planned through Duck Tours which was great. I booked it mainly because I was intrigued at the idea of this vehicle going into the water and being a boat. Good thing it lived up to the hype and we did not sink into Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately for us, it was quite a windy day which made the water rough so we couldn't go para-sailing or rent jet-skis like we originally wanted to. Instead, we spend the some time on the beach for a while enjoying the last warm sun we would see for a while. We met up with another friend that night for some drinks at Wet Willie's which was a place I always wanted to go since I first heard about it in Charlotte. I had been talking about how I really wanted to try a bulldog and as a nightcap, we ordered one..which was a pretty bad idea considering we had to be at the airport 4 hours later. 

The next morning, we had to wake up at 4am and were off to the airport to come back to reality. I prolonged it by taking a personal day so I could nap, do laundry, clean the house. Our next major trip is Boston for a family wedding, which will be loads of fun!

One Year Later

The musical Rent asked the question, "How do you measure a year?" and I"m sure everyone has a different answer. Rent proposed you can measure a year in daylights, sunsets, midnights, cups of coffees, etc. The top choice being love.

It's a been one whole year since Kunal and I signed our lives to each other in the tiny town of Conway, SC. We've had a pretty fantastic year. We're enjoying traveling as much as possible. We get to see friends fairly often. And most importantly, we're still just as obsessed as ever with spending time with one another.

So I guess I'll measure this past year in happiness. Happy that we're thriving in a tough economy. Happy that we're maturing together. Happy that we're enjoying our 20s with friends. Happy that we still see our families often. Happy that we're still happy. =)

Hello Fall, We Meet Again..

Tomorrow is my Dad's 61st birthday. It is also the first day of Fall. I have never been a huge fan of anything less than 75 degrees. Most people think Fall is so beautiful with the changing leaves, the brisk mornings, the cool evenings. Not me. I know exactly what it's up to. Trying to distract you from that fact that winter is quickly approaching. The leaves are annoying as they get ALL over my car and the morning dew ensures they stick on my windows. The brisk mornings force me to put the heat on on my way to work. The cool nights deter me from venturing out of my house once I'm home from work. I've always been cold, my natural state of comfort is typically a few degrees higher than what most people find comfortable. As I'm typing this, my hand are freezing. I've always rather be too hot than too cold because when you're cold, it's miserable, the numbing freeze, the cold nose, the chill that makes your bones ache.

I'm trying to get in all the fun I can before the cold hits full force. Last week we went to a super nice dinner at 90 Acres which is a beautiful 500 acre plot of land tucked away in the serene mountain backdrop that somehow manages to exist in New Jersey. It's surrounded by farm and wildlife and most everything they use in the kitchen can be found on the farm..gives you a new light to look at the deer in when you're driving up. The dinner was so delicious,the wine was on point, and the cocktails were strong. I absolutely loved it and am itching for having a good reason to go back.

The following day, we had a "end of summer" get together at our house. We love hosting and since this summer was so busy with travelling, we decided to do one last event where we can use the grill. It was lots of fun getting together with friends, eating good food, and drinking Pimm's Cup which is so delicious. I put Sprite Zero, cucumbers, strawberries, and mint in my creation. I fell in love with Pimm's in England and brought some back home with me. I attempted making popcorn on the stove for the first time. It was a success minus the part where the popcorn was too much for the pot. Guess this is a sign I need to invest in bigger cookware.

I usually tend to hole up and become a hermit when it's cold. Here's to hoping this is a mild winter. Although with my ankle length down coat, I feel a lot more prepared than in the past.

The Last Weekend 9/1-9/3

We left Paris Saturday afternoon. We had a full but delicious breakfast at the hotel. I am in love with "cocktail sauce" which is just ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together. Unlucky for me, I dropped a bit on my pants..which were white..in a spot that isnt covered by my top. Luckily it wasn't noticeable after dabbing with some Evian so I didn't feel the need to change

We took the metro to the train station and since we were very early this time and have some euros to spend, we shopped in the gift store while we waited for our train. Once we got to St. Pancreas, we met up with Kunal's cousin to visit with him and his family for the afternoon. We went to a family friendly pub. The grownups can have their beer, cider, or in my case, Pimms (which I LOVE) and the children have a playground to entertain themselves with.

Around 5, we went to my masi's house. She arranged a dinner party for all my family to see me instead of having me go from house to house. It was lots of fun. Great food and company. There was even a belly dancer! After dinner, Kunal and I went to a a local bar with my cousin, called Nu Bar. When we got home, we sat around and talked for a while until sleep got the best of us.

On Sunday, after breakfast, we had to head back to the other side of London to Kunal's family's house as we were leaving that Monday. We took the train back and after Kunal's uncle picked us up, we went to pick up my reception outfit. There was a few details that needed adjusting so I decided to come back the following day since my flight was late afternoon. That night there was a BBQ at another one of Kunal's uncle's houses. Kunal have raved about these kebabs his aunt makes. I got to experience first hand how to make them..well not really how to make them, but how to put them on the skewers. They were delicious and I felt like I could eat 10. There was also pork chops which was just as good. All the family came so it was a great end to our trip.

The next morning, we had to pack our bags which wasn't as difficult as I would have thought. We were under the weight limit so that was a huge relief. I left my reception outfit in the UK because it was heavy and would have defnitely been over limit. I'll get it in November when Kunal's family comes for a wedding in Boston.

And back we came to the States, vacation over...

Paris Sight Seeing 8/31

Friday was our main sight seeing day in Paris. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. Then we walked up to the Arc de Triomphe which is a stop on many tour buses. We hopped on one and off we went to get a broad overview of all the sites Paris had to offer. Unfortunately for us, it was super windy and we were dressed for a hot summer day. When that cold wind hit us, it was definitely not fun! We made the best of it and got to see everything I wanted. I really wanted to have a picnic in a park with a view of the Eiffel Tower but after dealing with the wind all afternoon, we decided to revise that plan to picnic on our balcony with macaroons, eclairs, cheesecake, bread, cheese, and of course, wine.

One of the things I wanted to do most while in Paris is go to the Pont des Art bridge. This particular bridge has a chain link fence running along and now, people come from all over to put a lock on the bridge with their and their significant other's names. Then you must throw the key into the Seine and BAM, you're together FOREVER! I immediately fell in love with this idea and was dead set on doing it. Kunal was a bit weary..which is understandable considering he's LOCKED to me for the rest of his life (insert evil laugh here)!

Flashback, it was 2004 and we were both juniors in high school. I went to a boarding school so our prom was always end of February/beginning of March. I didn't have a date.Luckily Kunal decided to go with me. We had always talked but we never really spend a lot of time together in person due to living 2.5-3hrs apart. Our prom was in a museum so it was definitely an interesting experience. The theme of the prom was "Passport to Paris."

Anyways, back to Paris. The bridge is right by the Louvre which was convenient. I made a huge deal about the lock which is definitely expected of me. I put all of our dates on it since we do love to celebrate every little thing.

01.04.09 was when Kunal officially asked me to be his girlfriend.
09.04.10 was when Kunal proposed to me.
10.07.11 was when Kunal and I had our civil ceremony
If we wanted to continue..
02.14.12 was when Kunal and I bought our first home and FINALLY
03.30.13 will be when Kunal and I have our wedding ceremony..but since we ran out of room, I only put the first three. Haha

After we were done sightseeing, we decided to do some shopping. Went to obscenely expensive store and bought things because 'hey, we're in Paris and we have Euros we don't want to convert back to pounds or dollars.'

For dinner we decided too late to dine at Eiffel Tower or on a boat cruise so they were completely booked out. Instead we settled for Chez Francis which has an AMAZING view of the Eiffel Tower. Go visit if you're ever in Paris. The evening was nice so we sat outside and enjoy the flickering lights of the Eiffel Tower over drinks, dinner, and dessert. It was a great end to a quick Paris getaway.

Arriving in Paris 8/30

Thursday morning, we were off to Paris! We took the Eurostar from St. Pancreas to Paris and once we arrived at the train station, we decided to grab breakfast. Kunal wanted a 'proper English breakfast' and I never had one. It was delicious but unfortunately a few minutes later, I wish I hadn't eaten it as we were running a 'bit' late for our train. When I say a bit late, I mean we were literally dashing down the platform getting to our coach before the train left us! We realized we need to be better about times and get there earlier rather than 'on time' We had the unfortunate pleasure of sitting diagonally across from a young couple with a child..a child who would NOT stop crying the ENTIRE 2 hours and 15 minutes it took to Paris. They really ought to have a 'with child' coach on the train so everyone else can enjoy the train ride peacefully.

Anyways, once we arrived, we took the metro to our hotel. Our hotel was AMAZING. Thanks to our diamond status, we were upgraded to a room on the top floor with its very own balcony! We had a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower.

One of the things I love and crave at least weekly is Mexican food. Being in the UK, Mexican is NOT up to par. And Paris was probably no exception, even with being so close to Spain. Kunal, ever so thoughtful had arranged room service to bring us chips, salsa, and guacamole...and of course some Coronas! It was nice to have a touch of my favorite in one of the nicest cities in the world. Always being full of surprises, Kunal had a present for me. (Yes, I know that I'm beyond spoiled.) I had been going on about how much I wanted a Pandora bracelet but of course I haven't really had a good reason for getting one. Kunal decided to buy me one and I can fill it with charms relating to all the trips we've taken. It already has a tidbit of England and France. I'm looking forward to filling it up as we go one more adventures. We decided to go on a walk around our hotel. We were walking distance from the Acr de Triomphe and of course, lots of shopping on Champs Eylsees. We went to a bakery and brought a loaf of hard crusty French bread, went to a store and bought some cheese and a bottle of wine..and champagne..and the UK beer, Desperado which is made with tequila. Then we headed back to our hotel to enjoy our balcony and eat!

We were going to a show that evening called "How to become Parisian in One Hour" which is a one man comedy show and extremely funny. I definitely recommend going for anyone planning on visiting. After the show, we went to a Parisian bistro for a late dinner. It was delicious and we continued on with more wine and bread. We went to our hotel to enjoy the night view of the lit up Eiffel Tower and had more wine.

Family/Tourists 8/27-8/29

Monday after the reception we all gathered for breakfast at Kunal's foi's house before people had to go their separate ways. The food was amazing. She made this masala egg dish that I'm definitely going to attempt one day. Passion fruit is HUGE in England and I love passion fruit juice so that definitely won out over my love of a glass of milk with breakfast. After breakfast, we were going to going to Northampton to Kunal's ba's house where the family was all gathering. I hadn't spent much with Kunal's mom's side of the family so this was especially fun for me. I got to meet cousins and finally put names and faces together. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them again at the wedding.

Tuesday morning, we were off to South Hall to spend more time shopping..and of course, eat the infamous kebabs. When I say this place was a hole in the wall..I mean it was on the side of the road..on a BRIDGE. But I can definitely say they were amazing. After Kunal's kebab craving was satisfied, it was time to satisfy my desire for shopping. Went to a few stores and after not finding anything I liked, we decided to try one more store before calling it quits. And lucky for me we did because we found the prettiest, extraordinary outfit that is PERFECT for my reception!! Only 198 days until I get to wear it and act like a diva.

Kunal's parents were leaving the next day so we had a family dinner with all the aunts/uncles that night at a restaurant. It was delicious and after going weeks without good Indian good, it hit the spot. After dinner we went back to Kunal's uncle's house where all of our bags were. Since the only item on the agenda for Wednesday was a cousins dinner, we decided to go into London to be proper tourists.

After a breakfast of chai and digestives (the best biscuits ever) we hopped on the 'tube' and rode into London. Since I had never properly seen London, we decided the best thing to do would be a bus tour. We only had one day so I wanted the broad overview rather than focus on 1-2 things. I'll save that for another trip. The open top bus tour was fun, especially since the map hit everything I wanted to see. After seeing 3/4 of the sites, we were hungry and it was starting to drizzle. We picked a random pub by the Tower Bridge to hang out in until the rain let up. We finally had fish and chips and of course, some proper British beer.

One of the things I wanted to do was go to the "Ice Bar" which is a bar made entirely of ice, the cups, the benches, the bar itself! It was so touristy but something I wanted to experience. If you know me, you know how much I hate the cold so for me to be a willing participant, it must have really appealed to me.



Around 5pm, we were exhausted and decided to head home. We had to pack for Paris anyways and I wanted to get some of it done before we went to dinner. Dinner was at another Indian restaurant and as usual, the food was great. It was nice to have a relaxing dinner with everyone since during the wedding, everyone is on a schedule.

Wedding 8/24-8/26

We're back in the States after our vacation aboard. It was such a whirlwind that I really can't believe it's over already. There was always something to do so the trip really did fly by. I'm happy to say that we came back with only 1 major thing left off my checklist of things to do/places to see. (Pretending that I'm going to Hogwarts at King's Cross)

We arrived Thursday evening and flew through customs which was quite nice. For dinner that night, we went to Nando's which is all the rage for people who don't live in England. Their sauce really is delicious and I wish I had gotten some bottles to bring home.

Friday we were off early morning to Leicester for the wedding festivities for the weekend. I had met most of Kunal's family before but it was so brief that this time it was time to be able to actually talk and connect with them. Friday was the first day of kebabs. Kunal rants and raved about how much he wants kebabs and sure enough after dinner, we went to a place to get some kebabs, sad to say they were disappointing.

The wedding took place about 2.5-3hrs south in a town called Portsmouth which is right on the tip of the country. We travelled in a gigantic double decker coach bus. Lucky for us we took over the front row on the top floor so it literally felt like we were floating down the highway. It was a cool experience considering how small the roads and cars are in England to be in a vehicle that really dominated the road. Since the groom was Kunal's cousin and the bride was related to Kunal's mom through some way I haven't quite put my finger on, literally everyone was there. I got to meet so many people from Kunal's mom and dad's side of the family. It was a bit overwhelming being introduced that I'm sure I've forgotten plenty of names. Since the wedding was so far, it was an all day event and by the time the coach arrived back at our hotel, we were exhausted and a bit hungry so off we went to KFC. I know we have KFC here in the States but the food there is a bit different. First of all, the chicken sandwiches are called burgers, which is a bit confusing. They gives 2 wings with every meal and there is no side of macaroni available. And we all know how much I LOVE my mac n cheese.

The reception was Sunday evening which left the entire day to do what we pleased..and for me and Kunal it was shopping and eating kebabs, respectively. We went to a kebab place with Kunal's parents, foi, fua, masi, and masa. These kebabs were definitely better than Friday night's but no where close to how much better they got as our trip went on. After lunch, we split up since the guys don't have a keen interest in shopping for Indian clothes and us ladies went shopping. I was looking for a reception outfit but nothing really stood out. I ended up buying a lengha to wear that evening to the reception because I really wasn't in the mood to put on a sari. The reception was loads of fun and it was nice to have an evening of drinking, eating, and dancing to celebrate the wedding. Kunal was the MC of the evening's program and he did a great job. I think everyone had a great time and it was a good end to a fun weekend.

Here is a picture of us from the reception that evening, we all ended up matching!

The Checklist

I think in order to be truly happy, three things must occur.
One, find your significant other;
two, own your own home;
three, have a career you love.
Now they don't necessarily have to be in that order. I only picked it because that's the list I'm working off of. One, check; two, check; three, no comment.

After talking to multiple people, I find it really hard to find people who have all three...unless you're really grown up and by "really grown up" I mean mid-30s earliest. Although I feel like Kunal has achieved all three..and as usual I'd like to take the credit for it. =D

Patience was never my best quality and I'm so loyal that I would rather "suck it up" than leave something I really think have the potential to turn into something great. I enjoy many aspects of my job, the great location, the flexibility with my hours, the almost unlimited vacation days, and of course the number one reason, the discount...but right now there isn't any room for growth. But there could be and that's one of the reasons why I'm so hesitant to leave.

I'm not the biggest fan of being stagnant. I always want more, and in college, I typicall got it. I guess I was a little naive to think that the working world would be just as easy. College is easy when you gain seniority every year, but in the real world, there are tons of people with tons more experiences and it's a little overwhelming. I feel like I'm wasting the best working years of my life. I'm SO eager to do anything and everything and it's as if I'm standing still in my career. This is beyond frustrating but I'm trying to remember that "everything happens for a reason" and I need to be patient because life usually works itself out in the best way.

The Home Life

With all the travelling we've done so far, it is sometimes so nice to just spend time at home. Case in point, last weekend was the first of 4 straight weekends of us staying home. As close to home as one can be since there are always trips to NYC thrown in the mix.

This weekend was great. I love hosting and having people over for dinner so my aunt, uncle and cousins came over and I whipped up dinner. Usually Kunal and I go to their house but we turned the tables around. The last time we had dinner with them was the beginning of June so it was definitely nice to have a typical Friday night dinner again. I made homemade pizza courtesy of my sister's blog and it was a huge hit. Pizza really is one of my favorite things..next to sushi and mexican and thai..okay I can't really pick one but I do enjoy it. The rest of the weekend was spent running errands, seeing friends, and of course, watching the Olympics.

It's nice to finally settle in a routine again after the constant travelling. It definitely helps being in one place for the wedding planning I'm undertaking (from 8 hours away). I went home for a week and met with and finalize the majority of my vendors. The only one I'm missing is a videographer which will hopefully come together this week or next. It's exciting to start seeing the wedding come together. We had an engagement shoot when we were in NC. I know that I've been engaged for quite some time and it might seem pointless...but I love engagement shoots. They make the couple look so amazing and when you put on the pictures at the wedding, it really does add a little bit extra to that special day. I knew I wanted one for as long as I could remember. Now that I've done it and I;ve gotten the wonderful pictures back, I can see the light is brightening. I remember when it was just a distant goal and now..8 months away!

Between the wedding planning and the Olympics, I am sure time will fly and before I know it, I will be boarding a plane to the UK. Speaking of the UK, I really need to get the ball rolling on my tourist tour of London and Paris. This is going to be one fun trip!

Exploring the Northeast

During our 3 week stay in NJ, we've decided to venture around and check out some of the "cool" things up here. Last week, we went to Atlantic City. We've been there multiple times before but it's still fun to go back. I unfortunately was not so lucky on the tables and came away with less money than I started with. On the other hand, Kunal was on a hot streak and made enough money to cover my losses along with food and cabs and still have a good chunk of pocket change. It was definitely a fun trip after hectic travel plans prior.

This week I only had work Monday and Tuesday so I was super excited about my 5-day weekend. I haven't worked a full week since before Memorial Day! I at first thought I would just stay home and be extremely lazy. You know, get in that summer vacation I so dearly miss. Sometimes I miss it so much I think about going back to school or teaching!

Instead of being a couch potato, we've planned a whirlwind trip that will take us to 3 of the Northeast's major tourist traps. Tomorrow to celebrate the birth of this great nation, we will be in NYC to celebrate with friends from school. I've never been in NYC for the 4th so I'm very excited and I adore fireworks so that shall be a fun site to see. Also, I love doing anything on a rooftop so I'm looking forward to having a picnic up in the sky.

The following day, we are going to a place where we can take off our grown up shoes for a bit and just have some fun acting like a kid..a kid tall enough to ride roller coasters, that is! We're going to Six Flags Great Adventure. I've been there multiple times when I was younger. I still remember the one time we went and I was too short to ride the brand new Batman ride and my sister was tall enough! Looking back, her short height now must have been karma for her teasing as I sat outside the ride and waited for her, my dad, and my aunt to get off the ride. Kunal has never been so he is very excited. We are going to go through the safari in the morning and then spend the day at the park. We've never been to an amusement park together so this will be a first for us!

Friday, we're planning on going to Parx, a casino in Pennsylvania that we've been wanting to check out. Hopefully it lives up to the hype that Atlantic City has given casinos.

Finally, we're ending the mini-vacation with a stop at a local vineyard on the way home Saturday. Kunal and I love going to local vineyards, something we've done in NC that we try to continue up here in NJ. Let's hope the vine is good!

June Travels

We're back in NJ after 2 back to back weekends of travelling out of town. We were in NC this past weekend, and in Chicago the weekend prior.

In Chicago, we attended the wedding of my cousin. This trip is the only trip of the year where we are going for an event on 'my side' as every other trip is for Kunal's family or friends events. It was such a joy to see so much of my family in one spot, especially since the last time I saw most of them was in October for my own engagement. As usual, being with my family hinders my ability to sleep. I want to soak up every second possible so usually sleep gets thrown off the 'to do' list. This just goes to show how much I enjoy my family time as sleep is one of my favorites things. Spending 3-4 days with my family was the cure for my apathetic spell I was going through here in NJ. I'm so used to always being around family that I never realized what a toll it would have on me when I go months without seeing them.

This past weekend, we went back to the wonderful state of NC for Kunal's friend's engagement party. I was beyond excited at the thought of finally going home. We hadn't been to NC since the holidays!! Being home was great, especially since my parents were actually here this time! (Last time I came home, for the holidays, they decided to go to Texas to surprise my sister and left me alone!) I was more than spoiled with food. I was getting over allergies or a cold, still don't know what I have, so my parents really babied me until I got well again. Sometimes I wonder why I ever decided to move out.

Now we are back in NJ, here to stay until mid-July when we go home again for more weddings. That trip will be great because I am staying home for 10 days. I am in the middle of planning my daily meals so I can be sure to get in all my favorites before I'm forced to come back to NJ. I think I'm more concerned with my meals that week than actual wedding planning. Oh, my priorities.

The Travel Bug

Everyone told me that once you 'grow up' you realize just how busy you become. There are 12 weeks until Labor Day weekend and out of those 12 weeks, we are out of the tri-state area for 6. And we'll be out of town for 2 more for some drivable weekend trips to CT and PA. Did I mention we have a trip planned every month after that? We are attending 5 weddings and 1 engagement from now until the end of the year. It will be lots of fun but I feel like I'll defintely miss the lazy weekends at home when the day is my canvas and I do what I please. This past weekend for perfect for that reason. We have no definite plans. We went to dinner with friends on Friday, planned our England trip, shopped, and spent time with more friends Saturday, and ended the weekend with some chores, tennis, and leftovers. It was a very nice "last weekend" at home until the end of the month. 

I love to travel but hate to pack. I like being prepared for any type of situation which usually leads to overpacking. Since many of our trips revolved around Indian events, it just adds to my packing distain. Having to pick our normal clothing and accessories is difficult enough..then to have to throw in Indian outs and their accessories. It takes me hours making sure everything fits, it all has a string where needed, a petticoat for saris, putting together bangles, finding jewelry and a bindi to match. Then there's the shoes! I finally finished last night putting together my Indian outfits for this weekend. I haven't even thought about what clothes I'll be wearing the rest of the time in Chicago. Then there's deciding what makeup is needed, what hair supplies I need to bring. It is SUCH a process.

Our main plan this year was going to go to Hawaii for a real vacation...but the important life events of our nearest and dearest definitely take precedent over vacations, and there is always next year. In order to still have some fun 'us time' we planned getaways where possible.When we are in England, we've booked a 3 day excursion to Paris in the middle of switching from spending time with Kunal's family to mine. Since Hawaii wasn't going to happened this year, the next best thing is Miami. The dates of our timeshare coincided with the anniversary of our civil ceremony so that will be a nice treat. The following month, we are off to Boston for a wedding and we'll end the year out in the South for the holidays. The year is so planned that I feel like it is going to fly by so fast. Before I know it, it'll be my wedding!

Byebye Appeal

So it has finally happened...I lost my motivation to be a grown up. More and more I find myself wishing and wanting to just go back home. I'm not sure whate brought on this latest case of homesickness but it seems to be sticking.

I used to come home and plan a lovely meal and get cooking, throw in some laundry, tidy up the place. Now, I come home and take a 2 hour nap because I'm so exhausted. And I still go to bed at 11:30-12ish. I'm not sure why I am just so tired all the time. Kunal is tired too..I think we both are worn out from New Jersey. It has yet to grow on either one of use and Kunal's at over 2 years and I'm approaching mine.

 To use a term I learn in my literature classes, I think we romanticized "playing house" and now that we are actually in a house with real situations, we realized maybe we weren't as ready as we thought. For example, transferring Kunal's car from SC to NJ. You'd think it would be a quick process since his name is on the title. But no, it's long and complicated and I just don't have the motivation to figure it out. I mean, I just now made a eye doctor appointment, when I was on my very last pair of contacts because I hate doing anything that ties me more to NJ than NC. I still have yet to think about making a dentist appointment. I miss my mom in times like these!

We haven't been out of NJ/the northeast since Christmas. Maybe it finally caught up to us. Missing the south and everything that comes with it, our families, friends, the food, just everything. I'm hopefully our summer of travelling and spending time with lots of family and friends will liven us up and give us our second wind. Don't get me wrong, we have family and friends up here, but it's just not the same as home. Everything is different back home, it's just more laid back, fun, familiar. What we really need right now is a big dose of home.

Right now life just isn't has fun. My biggest accomplishment this week was actually making dinner 4 nights in a row. Being homesick makes me not want to do anything...except crave my mom's food. It's weird to be homesick because I was always the type to never get homesick while in school. Although considering "home" was always a quick 30 minute drive always helped.

Grown up world : 3 Me: 0

Cutting the Cord

One less thing tying to me to my parents. One step closer to becoming self-sufficient. I finally purchased a NJ auto insurance policy. Now if you know me, of course I had to do go baby steps with it. Kunal, myself, and his car are on this policy and it's already a pretty penny! My car has to wait until we transfer the title from my father's name to mine. Can't imagine how expensive it will be then! The price was reasonable until I gave our license numbers and my fun little speeding ticket from September 2010 popped up and hiked it up. =(

Other than my car, the only thing my parents pay for is my cell phone bill....but I know those days are numbered too. As soon as my contract is up, I am definitely getting rid of Sprint and moving on to the bigger, better Verizon network. And I'm taking my dad with me! Figured he supported my phone habit for the past 9 years, the least I can do it pay for his phone now.

Being a grown up sucks right now. I feel like there is a constant stream of bills to pay and I can't just transfer a whole paycheck to my savings as often as I did before. My savings isn't growing as quickly as I would like and it is not cool. By the time I am done alloting one paycheck to bills and savings, I'm already thinking of what I can use the next one for! We have way too many things to pay off right now so I always think twice when I want to make frivolous purchases. There is still so much I want to do decorating-wise but feel like I need to wait until we have our money under more control. This is super hard becuase I want a lamp here, a bookself there, a storage cabinet in the garage and it all has to wait! My inner creativity is screaming at being held back.

Grown up world : 2 Me: 0

Dinner Parties

One of the things I was most looking forward to when we moved was hosting dinner parties. I absolutely love having people over, cooking a (hopefully) delicious meal, and playing the role of hostess. We are having our very first major party this Saturday and I am beyond excited for it. Last week, I decided to invite a couple of friends over for a pseudo-Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is my favorite time to eat and I was really missing the food. I made a turkey breast roast in my slow cooker, whipped up some spicy corn soup, made stuffing, and of course had string beans. I wish I could have made macaroni and mashed potatoes but I was working with a limited pantry of supplies. The meal turned out well, granted it was only for 4 people but baby steps in the right direction.

Then this past Friday, I invited my aunt, her family and a couple of friends over for dinner since my sister and brother-in-law were in town. I was very excited to grill or rather have Kunal grill the food I prepared. I went from 4 people to 10 people. It was a good time though. We made Mexican style shrimp and chicken kebabs as appetizer and fajitas for dinner. Definitely learned a few things but I feel pretty ready for having a mass quantity of people over this weekend. I realized that I cannot partake in the multiple glasses of margaritas as that will lead to being lazy when it comes to cleaning up. This makes for a not so fun morning when walking into a messy kitchen. I should also prepare everything possible the night before so I'm not stuck getting food ready while everyone else is socializing.

My biggest flaw in the kitchen is that I cannot bake/make any dessert items. I tried making a cookie cake once and it turned out harder than a brick! I guess now that I have everything else down to a science, I can concentrate on sweets so I don't have to feed my guests cake and ice cream from the store.

Low Blow NJ, Low Blow

One of the most shocking things happened. Our car was stolen! Right out of our driveway! On a rainy Sunday night. Who does that???? Seriously one of the unsettling feeling I have had in a LONG time. I know I am melo-dramatic in general but this is crazy! I don't even feel safe in my home anymore when I'm alone..which has been never since we discovered the missing car. It's tragic to go from loving to come home, not caring if I'm alone to being extremely paranoid. I'm getting my car rekeyed tomorrow since there was a spare key in Kunal's. Hopefully that will be make me feel safer if there is no possible way anyone but me can get into my car.

On Monday, when this happened, I was just about ready to call it quits and figure out a way to move back home. NJ is definitely not like home and things like this definitely do not help make us feel any differently about this state. I keep telling myself it could have been worse, but this is still really sucky, sorry to sound like a middle schooler, but there isn't a better word for this situation. At least we have each other, to help with the homesickness, the problems that arise, the loneliness we feel. Who know how either one of us would have reacted if we were alone in this situation.

If there's a lesson we could learn from this, it's always double check the doors, never keep anything important in a car, and that it's us against the world. Knowing we have each other helps with the hardships of being so far away from everything and everyone we love. To quote a song by Tynisha Keli (that I just googled, haven't heard) yet, "Baby it 's you and me against the world It's ride or die till the very end."

Family Visits

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." Chaos is what happens when they come to visit.

This past weekend, Kunal and I solidified our grown up game by having a katha to bless our new home. I grew up with my family having kathas on a regular basis, especially when someone would move to a new place and that was something I wanted to continue. Granted Kunal and I had no idea what was going on or what we were saying as we poured water, flower petals, and rice over statues of deities. It was fun though, the mahraj understood we were newbies and was very patient with us. He explained what each thing signified so we weren't completely lost. While my legs lost feeling a few times, it was a good experience.

For the katha, our families came in from out of town and of course, stayed with us. There were a total of 10 people who somehow managed to fit and sleep somewhat comfortably. It was a huge slumber party that was super fun. We stayed up late, talked, joked, ate, the works. It was just want I needed after being miserable and homesick for the previous few weeks. Our dads joined forces and tackled our handyman problems like switching the electrical outlets and light switches. They put up a new light fixture in the kitchen, installed new shower heads, etc. It was great! Our moms made chai, cleaned, handled the kitchen. It was a nice break.

Kunal's cousin came with her daughter and it was fun having a little rugrat running around. She's quite adorable. Having everyone here really did put the icing on the cake of having the house feel like a home. I mean, we've had friends over but it's just not the same until you pack as many family members as possible for a weekend. Granted, we won't have this many people over for a long, long time, it was a great way to break in our home.

Home Improvement Week

Well, it's only been a week into April even though it feels like a month. It's with much surprise that I can say the majority of our home improvement goals are done. I think we were still in the honeymoon stage of first time home ownership and we really wanted to do everything ourselves. After painting two walls, we quickly grew out of it. The next time we decide to paint, we're going to hire someone. I don't think it would have been SO bad if the previous owners did a decent job painting. All the light switches, outlets, trim, doors, hinges were ALL painted. Who paints over an electrical outlet? It was a big pain have to pry off the outlet plates. All the tedious tasks like that really burst our DIY bubble and make painting such a cynical chore. Luckily, we only have one wall of trim left to do in the guestroom and we'll be DONE!

I am quite pleased to say the new paint looks GREAT! I was apprehensive about Kunal's accent wall idea, but I really do like it. Definitely gives the room that wow factor. The only problem is that I'm not sure how to decorate it. Small battle to be dealt with later. We went furniture shopping so our home is completely furnished. I'm in love with our couch. I have designated "my spot" and when Kunal sits there, I channel a little bit of Sheldon from "The Big Bang Theory" and get possessive. I'm sitting it in as I type. You have to see it, it's quite perfect. I took a nap in my spot yesterday, super comfy.

Once we are done with the trim, we just have to organize the dressers and bed, then we'll be completely done! I cannot wait for friends and family to come visit our new place. Especially since it is more and more like a home than ever before.

The rest of the month will be dedicated to putting the finishing touches everywhere. This will be a nice relaxing thing versus the agony of finalizing paint colors we both like. Or deciding between black and brown furniture. Sigh..the joys and pains of home ownership.

Car Insurance

The time has come. I am in the process of finally leaving the comfort of my parents' auto insurance to embark on a policy of my own. I never realized how expensive it would be. I would move to the only state where EVERYTHING is expensive. The latest quote I received for just me and my car was $1544/yr! that's almost as much as my parents pay for 3 drivers and 3 cars!!! Talk about crazy.

Alas, now that I'm a grown up, it is time to wean myself off of my parents support. First car insurance..then cell phone! Wish it was the other way around. I am itching to get a new phone, the iPhone to be precise and cannot wait until December when my contract is over. Okay back to topic.

Everyone says I should get auto insurance from the same person I have homeowner's insurance from. But I'm not so sure, I know that I get a discount but I feel like some insurance companie are better than other in regards to specific things. Don't want to name any names but I think I'll have to shop around a bit to get the coverage I want for the price I want. Our bills have definitely increased while our paychecks haven't. It's a bummer to not have as much disposable income as we're used to. But it's something we'll work on, we don't necessarily need to go shopping every weekend or out to dinner 2-3 nights a week.

March Madness

I remember when I was celebrating my 16th birthday, all the guys wanted to sit around and watch March Madness games instead of hang out with me. Needless to say, I threw a fit but it didn't work. Learned then that I could never get between guys and their sports. Because of this, I took an interest in sports, followed basketball, baseball, even golf for a while. I didn't understand football until this past season but now that I know what's going on, I can honestly say that I do enjoy watching it.

Anyways, back to March Madness. I did not appreciate all that March Madness stood for until senior year of high school. I had just committed to attending UNC-Chapel Hill and the basketball team was on fire. Everyone was pumped so naturally, I followed the games, the ACC tournament (we lost), the NCAA tournament, right up until UNC defeated Illinois and all the news coverage showed Franklin Street and the mass crowd that gathered, the bonfires that started, the arrests that ensued. That was when it hit me, I was going to one of the greatest basketball schools in the nation, and that year, THE best basketball school in the nation. There was many ups and downs through my college years for the basketball team, more ups than downs though. We beat the Dookies in their house ALL four years, which was awesome. There was injuries which sucked. I ran from the Dean Dome to Franklin Street, jumped over fires, the works. It was amazing. I couldn't imagine going to a school where we weren't amazing at a sport. It instills such a sense of school pride that is irreplaceable.

Of course the one memory that will live on and on forever is the moment we KNEW we were going to be the NCAA champs my senior year. What better graduation present than a National Championship. It's beyond words being able to say I was there when we won in 2009. I still get all nostalgic thinking about it. President Obama even has us as winners! Go Heels, go America!

This year, the madness ensues and it's even better because NC State is also in the Sweet16. Kunal and I basically plan our social plans around the games. It sucks being in the North because people here just don't understand all that March Madness is. No one understands what Dook losing to Lehigh means, or the significance of NC State making it to the Sweet 16, or the fact that one of UNC's best players has a broken wrist! Thankfully we have each other to obsess over games with. Otherwise March would be maddening for other reasons.

Go tarheels, go wolfpack. Yes, I am now from a house divided.

Home Improvement Month

One month since we signed our closing papers. We don't really have much to show. Still haven't painted, still haven't bought furniture, and still haven't unpacked all the boxes! I guess I'll just have to make "slow and stead wins the race" my motto. Granted, we have been busy all weekends so far, but there are FIVE weekends in March! We need to take a hiatus from our friends so we can focus on our house. With that being said, I'm dedicating all of April to home improvement. We're painting the dining room/kitchen one color, and then the bedrooms upstairs. Not too much of an undertaking but good enough. This place doesn't really feel like "home" just yet. Mainly because we don't have pictures hanging up, little knick-knacks around. I don't want to fully unpack until we paint and get new furniture in here.

Painting and furniture is an entirely different topic that has caused many headaches and arguments. Like I said in a previous post, Kunal and I have extremely different decorating tastes. This doesn't help our decorating endeavor at all. We've decided to do the living room and guest room Kunal's way and have the master room and kitchen/dining room done my way. The kitchen is my "woman cave" after all, according to Kunal.

I've given Kunal free reign to turn our garage into his personal "man cave" since the rest of the house is basically my domain. I don't really know what all he can do in there..but if that means I can watch TV in peace, I'm all for it! We're giving ourselves a deadline of April's end in order to really turn this place around and get it together. We really want throw a housewarming for our friends to come see the place and celebrate this huge achievement with us. We're planning for early May so we have a goal to work towards. Wish us luck!

Crossing the t's

Slowly but surely, grown up life is coming together. I admit, I definitely didn't go by the list that most people typically use. You know, "meet, someone, get engaged, get married, move in together". I met someone, moved in , and then got engaged.

The only thing I have left to complete is the actually wedding. Granted I am legally married, but that's more for my own benefit than anything else. I still want my big fat Indian wedding which I'm planning currently. After that, I can finally lean back and relax. The major moments of my early adulthood will be complete. Thank goodness I have an older sister so no one will bother me about children until she has them first. =)

I didn't realize how hard it would be to plan a wedding 8 hours away. Last year, we made trips to NC fairly often. This year, the earliest I see us going south is in July! That's only 6 months before my wedding! That's the time when everyone books everything and so I'll be left with people I don't want. There really isn't any free time to schedule time to visit Raleigh to meet with caterers, decorators, and the people at the venue. I feel the best thing is to take a week off in July, we're supposed to be there 2 consecutive weekends anyways. This way we can see our families, meet with people, and squeeze in an engagement shoot. I know we don't technically need one, but I really one. What other time will I have to go on location and have a professional take pretty pictures? If only some talent agency would discover me at the next greatest model. Then I would for sure pass on the engagement shoot.

The problem with our week long vacations starts with the time we are taking off in June for my cousin's wedding and the time we are taking off in August for Kunal's cousin's wedding. Could we really ask for ANOTHER week off in the middle of summer and it not seem like we are being greedy?

Routines

After 2 weeks of living in our new home, we've got a routine down. It's nice although I feel like it definitely turns us into that full-fledged "old boring couple" that we were trying to avoid. But what can you do? It's nice to just hang out at home now that we have one. Watch TV together, unpack, brainstorm paint colors, look for furniture online, etc. On the weekends, we are not such homebodies, I promise!

If you recall an earlier post, I wrote about how I cannot stand Kunal's snoring and it keeps me awake. Well, somehow it has ceased to be a problem! We have yet to have a night where one of us goes to another room to sleep. I don't know how this happened. It's baffling.

If you know me, I try to reason EVERYTHING so here are my top 3 reasons:
1. Kunal stopped snoring because the air is better. Our apartment was quite stuffy and probably not the most pure of all the air we'd breath in.
2. I am less stressed about finding a house, getting approved for a mortgage, locking in a good interest rate, closing on time, etc so my mind can fully rest at night.
3.I am too tired from being cold downstairs that once I'm comfy, cozy, and warm in the covers, I immediately fall asleep until morning.

If I had to chose, I would pick #3 because it truly is exhausting being cold. It's about 68 degrees in our home and while the upstairs is great, it is so cold downstairs. I've put away my tshirts and pj shorts. Now I wear sweatpants and hoodies. I am brainstorming ways to make the downstairs not so cold. First on my list is getting the curtains that block out light, heat, AND cold. We had them in our apartment and most days, we didn't even run the air. Granted we have double the space now..but I think they will definitely help.

Other than the cold, our life is slowing developing into something resembling normalcy. I cook, Kunal takes out the trash. Sometimes I can convince him to do the dishes.We have a morning routine that we've perfected for not being in the other's way. A nightly routine of watching tv in bed until we fall asleep, which is probably my favorite part of the day (wow, we do sound super old there). Sometimes I still cannot believe we've bought our own place but it sure is a nice revelation.

February's End

"Those who have lived a good life do not fear death, but meet it calmly, and even long for it in the face of great suffering. But those who do not have a peaceful conscience, dread death as though life means nothing but physical torment. The challenge is to live our life so that we will be prepared for death when it comes."

   ~Unknown

I love this quote. This is exactly how I want to live my life, and this is exactly how my Dadaji lived his life. 

I've only had to deal with death of a close one twice before in my life. Once when I was 6 or 7 and my aunt passed away. I was too young to fully comprehend what exactly was happening that day.

The second time was when my dear friend passed away. We were best friends in middle school, different high schools caused us to drift, but once we ended up at UNC together, freshmen year was just like middle school, except with no parental restrictions this time around. We were much closer our first year than when we graduated, but we still managed to keep in touch. Then came that summer day in 2010 when I heard she had passed away. I was in shock, someone so young couldn't just go. She was an amazing girl with the best intentions inside her heart. I was insanely scared of going to her funeral alone but I knew it was something I had to do or else, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. It hurt me so much to see her family deal with such a tragic loss. I looked through her albums and saw so many pictures of us together having fun and it just added fuel to the hurt inside. Every now and then, something happens and I think of her and hope she's at peace. 

My Dadji has been in my life for so long I never really thought about what life would be like if he wasn't around. Granted, he was hard of hearing and losing his sight due to glaucoma but he was always there. Going about his day, with any complaints, always wishing me well and praying for my well being. It will definitely take some getting used to, not seeing him in "his spot" when I go to visit my uncle anymore.

I was extremely upset when it happened but I've accepted it now. I think I was more upset with having to see my mom so distraught and not being able to do anything about it more than anything else. He was old and I truly think he was ready to go. He had lived a good life, he raised his five children, he saw his five grandchildren settle down with their own new families, and he was able to play with all four of his great-grandchildren. What a good life to live. Rest in peace, Dadaji.

Extreme Couponing

Growing up, my mom always clipped coupons and meticulously planned her weekly shopping trip to maximize quantity and minimize cost. It always amazed me the amount of money she saved. I am far too lazy to go through and clip coupons and plan out everything I'm going to buy. 9 times out of 10, I don't even look at the grocery store circular before going to grab what I need. I realize in order to save money efficiently, I need to shop around for the best sales and plan accordingly. Times like these make me miss my mom doing the grocery shopping.

We moved into our new home on Saturday. Since then, I've been watching the thermostat like a hawk..no joke. I've been always a bit colder than I normally like since we moved. This is, for those that know me well, really odd because my perfect temperature is "toasty" Shorts and a tank when there's snow outside, yes please.  In our apartment, I would blast the heat like it was free (because it was, yay for all inclusive rent!) and that spoiled me greatly. Now I've accepted the fact that I must retire my adorable nighties and PJ shorts until summer for sweats and fleece pants. =(

Can I move back to North Carolina please?

Identity Crisis

Juliet once said "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

I have always had a love-hate relationship with my name. It's short and sweet but oh so complicated in America. I've gotten Hair-rell, High-rul, Hee-rall and a plethora or others over the course of my lifetime. Nevertheless, I liked my full name, it suited me just fine and led to many, many user names and emails addresses. If I had to pick the one thing I most disliked about my name, it would be the fact there is no possible nickname. Can't call me Hi, Hir, Ral, Al...when everyone has a super awesome nickname, all I got called was Harold (thanks a lot sis) and Hirally. Sigh.

Then came the day I had to change my last name. I always managed to ignore the fact that my upcoming nuptials would require a name change. Then it hit me..as I was sitting in the Conway's Social Security Administration office, I was really doing this. There was no turning back. Then came the thoughts of how I wanted my name to be. Keep my middle name, take my old last name as my middle name, keep everything and hyphenate! HVA, HPA, HKA, HVPA..the initials themselves were complicated, everything sounded like a disease!! The possiblities were endless and kind of scary. I'd have to live with this for the rest of my life. I slightly panicked a bit.

Typical Indian tradition has the girl taking her husband's first name as her middle name along with his last name. This is something that everyone in my family has done...well I was never one to follow the rules because everyone else was. I decided to keep my middle name (which is my dad's first name) and only take Kunal's last name.  I really didn't want too much of Kunal in my name.

HVA, my new initials..they just don't flow as nicely as HVP did. I decided to drop the V and just be HA. So now, I will forever be known as laughter. Ha ha ha.

Dish Dilemma

Living with someone comes the notion that household tasks are split somewhat evenly. Kunal thinks I have it so easy, I come home at a set time every day and have plenty of time to relax before starting work around the house. However, regardless of my schedule, I think we should contribute 50/50 to keeping our home up to (my) standard. If I clean the kitchen, you should clean the bathroom. if I do the bedroom, the living room is calling your name. And my most favorite; if I cook, you do the dishes.Usually I nag him until he agrees to do them. If they still aren't done by the time I'm getting ready for bed, I start getting antsy. Of course, Kunal assures me that they will be done before I wake up. And usually, they are being done right as I'm waking up. Kunal, too afraid to face my wrath first thing in the morning, wake up earlier than usual to do the dishes before I get to the kitchen and give him mean looks and slam cabinets. Haha

When I go to work on the weekends, I usually leave Kunal with a few tasks to complete by the time I get home. To my amusement, he usually texts me asking when I'm coming home and when I reply with on my way, it's a mad rush to get everything completed before I walk in the door. I don't understand why if you have all day, wait until the last minute to do something. Even when I went to NC for a week, I told him a list of things to do..and what did he do? Wait until the day I came back to get everything done, putting the finishing touches as I walk in the door.

I think the majority of our agruments have been about cleanliness. I am super picky and a bit OCD when it comes to how I want things cleaned, swept, mopped, etc. Slowly, I'm trying to teach Kunal the proper way to clean. Do the dishes as you cook, don't leave your coats on the back of every chair we own, throw away receipts intstead of collecting them on the dining table. Hopefully one day he will understand. Fingers crossed.

Until then, I am looking forward to calling a maid once a month to deep clean our new home. Now that the space has doubled and Kunal still won't do something unless he's told (10 times), I'm definitely going to need the help!

Workaholic

I've finally realized why time flies so quickly when you're a grown up. The majority of my life consists of work. I've started working 6 days a week, sometimes 7 if I feel like it. All my days just roll together, sometimes I forget the exact day of the week! There really isn't a reason behind me working excessively, it's not mandatory by any means. I just don't mind it. It give me a routine to stick to. It stops me from going shopping and spending money unnecessarily. And I must admit, it is nice to get the extra money.

With working every day, it seems as if my weeks run together and before I knew it, January is over! I honestly don't know how the last year ended so quickly. I feel like it was only last week that we decided to begin our house hunt. And now, we're less than a week away from closing!

Since I work the hours that I do, I get my time to relax every day after work, so I'm never desperately awaiting the weekend to rest. This is why I started working overtime in the first place. If all I do on the weekends is eat out and go shopping, why not just put my energy in at work where I'm being productive and earning extra money. We're definitely going to need it for when we furnish our new place.

Since Kunal is getting busier at work with his deadlines approaching, he has work to do on the weekends as well. Only benefit is he can actually work at home while I must go in. Usually when we're hanging out, we kind of ignore everything else to just enjoy our time with one another. This typically isn't good for all the work Kunal must get done. So the way I see it, I'm also helping him out by not serving as a distraction.

I'm sure that eventually I'll stop working all those extra hours. The days when the sun is out, it's 80 degrees and there's a roof top party in the city to attend sound like a good time to cut back to 40 hours. As for now, as long as the sun sets before 6, there's frost on my car, and a down feather coat on my back, I'll be perfectly fine putting in my excess energy at work.

Taking a Step Back to Reflect

If you asked me back in college where I saw myself as I'm about to turn 25 (next month) my answer would have been completely different than my reality. I wanted a job at a pharma company, to live on my own in a new city, surrounded by my best friends. I wanted to live life carefree and unattached, having the best times with the best people. Basically, like every other girl, I wanted a Sex & the City sort of life. Cliche, I know.
In reality, I work at a cosmetic company, I live with Kunal in New Jersey, and I'm surrounded by more strangers than friends.

I still am not sure how we managed to leave the greatest state in the country for America's armpit...but here we are. I must admit, the first year was a huge struggle. All our friends were back home, the winter was unbearable, and we both were so homesick. But slowly, we made some friends, the season changed and we found New Jersey to become a little more bearable.

We've come a long way since we graduated. We both had moved back home with our parents, we made a 3 hour distance work for 5 months, 8 hour distance for 8 months and then the day came when I packed up my life in my car and made the solo drive up to NJ. I'm sure my parents thought I was crazy, I know my friends did. Leaving home to move in with my boyfriend? I sounded like the girl I never wanted to be, following a boy. This was so unheard of in Indian culture but if you know me, you'd know that I am not one to follow any rules but my own. As it turned out, it was definitely the right step.

People always say "Everything happens for a reason" and I am now a firm believer in that. If I hadn't stopped working at Global in February, I would have never decided to apply for a job at H&M to pass time. If I hadn't worked at H&M, I would have never had a job to come to in NJ when I decided to move. If I hadn't moved, I wouldn't be a chemist at a multi-billion dollar company.

We're about 2 weeks away from closing on our townhouse. As I look back at our past trying to fathom how we got so grown up that we're buying a townhouse, I realize life really is all about the risks you take. I'm so thankful that all my risks have led me into the direction I want to be. But, as my OCD/pre-plan everything personality is ever so present, every risk is definitely researched fully before undertaking.

Interior Decorating

With the closing on our first home quickly approaching, I am getting more and more excited about decorating. Really making the townhouse a home that I will adore like no other. I've always been drawn to natural, homey comfy sort of home decorating. The problem arises when Kunal decided his ultimate designing needs include ultra modern furniture. He decorated the apartment by himself and everything is black with white, gray and red accent pieces. Don't get me wrong, it looks very nice...but it just isn't very homey to me.  I've managed to sneak some tan into the bathroom and our dining table is dark brown. But it doesn't flow with the two very conflicting design schemes at work.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be old fashioned but warm colors make a home more of home than something modern. Being who we are, we have clutters everywhere; mail on the dining table, magazines on the coffe table, DVD's on the side table. I wouldn't call it mess but it definitely takes away from the modern feel where everything has a specific place. Also, if it helps my case, black furniture gets extremely dusty. Almost every day, there's dust and it's SUPER annoying to clean.

Who will win this decorating battle? I'm putting my money on myself personally. I can be quite dramatic when it comes to getting what  I want. I'm sure Kunal knows he won't have a major say in decorating until we move into a actual house and he'll have his 'man cave' while I have the rest of the house.

Dressing the Part

I've always had a loving relationship with clothes, handbags, shoes, and accessories. I must admit, I can be a bit materialistic. But really, who can live without their favorite hangbag? Or that top that just works? I've realized that the majority of my wardrobe can be defined as statement pieces. Pairing items together can be quite tricky; I can't just wear throw on my burgandy trench, grab my blue satchel and put on my cognac colored boots, now can I? This answers Kunal's question of "You have so many clothes, how do you not know what to wear?"

Now that I'm a "grown up" and a working professional, I was super excited to dress the part. Pencil skirts, pretty silk blouses, patent leather heels, the works! But I work in a lab, where my day to day attire consists of steel-toes shoes, a lab coat, and a hair net. Oh, and we are allowed to wear jeans. So on my way to my "big girl job", I dress like I'm going to middle school.

I used to wear dress pants at least, but working with skincare items all day is a risk to their appearance. Why would I want to wear something that can easily be stained with foundation? Clearly my fun lab job doesn't allow for my fun wardrobe. The labs on Bones and CSIi are so misleading. Who really analyzes blood in a khaki suit? About 95% of my body is covered and I definitely don't work with any bio-hazards.

Finding Some Alone Time

Kunal and I spent a lot, and I mean A LOT of time together. Grocery shopping? It takes two. Going to the mall? Need a second opinion.  The boys call for a quick trip to PA to gamble,  two seats please. Grab lunch with a friend? Table for three.

I really love spending time with Kunal. Considering our work schedules, we see each other in the morning when I say good bye to his royal sleepy head and then again when he gets home that evening. We barely talk during the day unless there's an emergency. So with that being said, on the weekends, you'll seldom find Kunal and I apart. Luckily after sharing 800 square feet for over a year, we still want to genuinely hang out with each other. I think the reason for this is because of the 2-3 hours when I have the place to myself before Kunal gets home. Thanks to my work schedule, I'm home by 4:30 at the latest every day. Kunal usually comes home around 6:30-7 on a good day. Those few hours where I can just relax and just watch TV or take a nap (shh don't tell) are amazing. I can cook and watch Netflix, I can watch the news (yea Kunal doesn't like watching the news). Because of this, I'm legitimately happy to see Kunal when he walks in through the door.

I've always wondered if he ever gets sick of me. The most alone time he gets is on his commute to and from work.  Usually every other week if not every week Kunal stays at a hotel near his office. I think it's his much needed break from me. In order to gear up for 48 hours of weekend time with me, he probably needs a night to himself to just relax without worrying about what I'm doing, what I want him to do, what I want us to do, etc. Yes, I can be hard to handle at times.

No matter the distance, we make sure we always say good night and (usually) good morning to each other. It's sort of our rule, I can't even remember the last time we didn't say good night, including trips to England (him) and India (me). Gotta love technology.

Living with a Pet Peeve

Three years, two coconut exchanges and one legal ceremony later, I've found the one thing that makes me want to suffocate Kunal in his sleep. SNORING. I have never nor will I ever understand how a person can go from breathing normally one minute to snoring like a banshee the next. Nothing's changed except the fact that you're unconscious.  What is this magical trigger? I must find it..and break it!! Did I mention that I'm a super light sleeper? Sometimes during my naps in the living rooms, the ding from the elevator can wake me. On a windy night, I awaken to the wind howling outside, sucks being on the 18th floor sometimes. I barely slept through Hurricane Irene.

Sleep is something I cherish greatly. If I didn't feel like Kunal would judge me, I'd nap for an hour after work and then go to bed at 10:30 on top of that! Imagine how it feels to be denied that precious sleep that I so greedily want. Without fail, every night I'd wake up, usually around 4am to Kunal snoring up a storm next to me. This results me in poking, nudging and shoving the poor guy before I sigh (just loudly enough to cause him to stir) and retreat to the living room to catch that last few hours of sleep.

Many times as I try to fall back asleep, I find myself wondering how exactly this happened? Kunal never snored in college. Was I too tired to notice his snoring? Was he hiding it until it's too late!?!? Am I really stuck with having to sleep in a separate room to get a night of restful sleep? So many questions, how am I ever supposed to get back to sleep with all these unanswered questions? Sigh, dramatic much?

Kunal says the easiest thing to do is wear ear plugs. I don't even like headphones much, how would I manage a night with ear plugs? If they prevent me from hearing Kunal's snoring, would I also sleep through my alarm? Too many risks associated with ear plugs. No way am I trying that...on a week day.

For now, I'll cherish tonight since Kunal is tucked away at the Embassy Suites and I can enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep.